WASHINGTON—Former U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms, a die-hard anti-communist firebrand who championed a wide range of conservative causes in his 30 years in the Senate, died early on Friday, aged 86, a foundation dedicated to his legacy said.
A blunt-talking product of the Old South, the North Carolina Republican was known as "Senator No" for opposing just about anything that obstructed his conservative world view.
Helms died at 1:15 a.m. in Raleigh, North Carolina, according to a notice on the Web site of the Jesse Helms Center, established at Wingate University, near his birthplace, to hold his archives and promote his legacy.
The one-time radio commentator turned congressional power broker pursued an ideological agenda that was anti-communist, anti-liberal, anti-gay and anti-affirmative action. He also held a deep distrust of international organizations and many foreign governments.
Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain said in a statement: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of Senator Jesse Helms. At this time, let us remember a life dedicated to serving this nation."
Helms retired in 2003 after five terms in the Senate.
For years, he played a key role in U.S. foreign policy as chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, embracing a strong U.S. national defense and what he regarded as a moral foreign policy.
Conservative Hero
This made the Republican curmudgeon a hero to fellow American conservatives, yet a villain at home and abroad to those who saw him as a symbol of U.S. isolationism and a foe of social progress. His name became synonymous with social conservatism.
Ed Feulner, president of The Heritage Foundation, a conservative research group, said the defeat of Soviet communism and the rise of the late President Ronald Reagan would not have happened without Helms' "intrepid leadership at decisive times."
Helms served as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee while Republicans controlled the Senate from 1995 to 2001. But no matter which party had control, Helms was a force in Congress, even when failing health forced him to travel the halls of Congress seated on a motorized scooter.
In his 2005 memoir Here's Where I Stand, Helms explained he had embraced the "Doctor No" nickname: "It wasn't meant as a compliment, but I certainly took it as one. There was plenty to stand up and say 'No!' to during my first term in the U.S. Senate."
His battles with the United Nations led to a 1999 deal to repay U.S. debts to the world body in return for U.N. reforms, and he co-sponsored legislation that invoked economic sanctions to punish foreign businesses that invest in Cuba.
In March 2002, Helms made headlines and received praise from some former critics when he expressed regret for being a latecomer to the global fight against AIDS and vowed to press for more money to combat the disease in his final tour of Capitol Hill.
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